[Editor’s note: The following article is based on excerpts from a lecture delivered by Minister Farrakhan on August 9, 1987. It was the fifth and last part of a series by the same name. Click here to order 8-tape series.]
In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
My subject is dedicated to all the Sisters that are here today and it is really dedicated to my dear Brothers. I have been working on this subject for over 15 years and it crystallized for me two weeks ago and I started this series of lectures. I am so proud of this series of lectures that, if I died tonight, I would feel that I have done my job; that if you get these series of lectures, I do not need to ever talk again. For what is in these lectures, be it the Will of Allah, will be enough for you to get up out of this condition, totally, completely and forever. And the key to getting up out of this condition is our woman.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to us, “Where there are no decent women, there are no decent men, for the woman, particularly the Black woman, is the Mother of Civilization.” The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said to us, “No nation can rise any higher than its women.” In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon said, “A wise child maketh a glad father, but a foolish child is the heaviness of its mother.” If you have an ignorant woman, more than likely she will produce children after her own kind. Whatever you are, that is what you produce. If the Nation is going to be elevated, the woman has to be lifted up. If the Nation is going to be a wise Nation, then our women have to give themselves to the acquisition of knowledge. If the Nation is going to be reformed and made better, then the Black woman today has to give herself up to be reformed.

As long as our women are in this low condition, they will always produce men in a low condition. Our women reject men like that. We are not what our women are happy over. We are not what our mothers are pleased with. But, mothers, your children are yours. Society has to take its part, but you have to take the full weight, because the scripture says, “Train the child up in the way it should go and when it is old, it will not depart from that way.” If you put the right things in children, then society cannot take them out. But the right things have been absent from the mind of the Black woman and the Black man, so from generation to generation, we keep on repeating history. We do not make a new step.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that 75 percent of his work was with the woman, only 25 percent with the man—because when you teach a man, you teach an individual, but when you teach a woman, you teach a nation. When you reform a man, you only reform an individual, but when you reform a woman, you reform a nation. So, how important are you, Sisters, to the future of Black people? How should you look upon yourselves and how should we, as men, look upon a woman?

Marriage is a key institution, if we are going to build a strong family. If we are not concerned about family, then we are not concerned about our people and our Nation. If we have a weak family, we have a weak Nation. If we have a strong family, we have the potential for a strong Nation. Strong family is only built upon a strong relationship between the male and female, called husband and wife. The union of male and female in Arabic is called, “nikah,” which means “the uniting.” When two people agree to marry, they are not agreeing that they are, in fact, married. They are agreeing that there are things in both of them that are mutually compatible and they both desire to go down life’s road together. They both solemnize their intention in a marriage ceremony, which does not say that they are, in fact, united, but it solemnizes their intention to struggle for that unity. Unity is a word so easily spoken, but it is a difficult thing to achieve. The union of sperm with ovum that began our life was a very difficult journey and process. It is only a sign of how difficult it is for a male and female to intend to be one and then work at it, until you make it so.

From what I've seen and heard, Elijah Muhammad did a much better job of instilling discipline in black women, especially young black women...than Farrakhan and the current NOI.

Under Elijah and Malcolm X's leadership, it was all about LAW.

Responsibilities and values were expected from both men and women and laws were strictly enforced.

A sista wasn't allowed to walk the streets alone atnight, work for white men, had to where her hijab fully covering her hair, and had to learn to properly cook, clean, and take care of her family.

Education wasn't discouraged but being independant and working in white institutions were.

Now it seems that everyone is trying to keep up with the white man and the way HE publicly treats his woman, as standard.

Too many of our leaders are sweet talking our women saying pretty things and telling them what they WANT to hear rather than what they need to hear.
People like T.D. Jakes. and many other black leaders fall into this category.

I don't know if I would put Farrakhan in this category because I've heard him get down on women for thier behavior, but I think a lot of leadership inside of the Nation of Islam are trying to push a certain agenda.

Now the sistaz are wearing "head wraps" instead of the hijab and exposing much of their hair, many of them are working in white establishments, some are promoting independance from men, and they also now have female ministers.

The divorce rates are also much higher among the sistaz today verse back in Elijah's day.

The world has changed since Elijah Muhammad..you cant put the blame on a specific leader. The MGT&GCC have curfew..and they are taught all the same things.Minister Farrakhan knows his role,and he does the best he can..if some of the followers dont follow what he teaches..thats on them. But the NOI does an excellent job.
Times have changed and they have adjusted accordingly.

The world has changed since Elijah Muhammad..you cant put the blame on a specific leader. The MGT&GCC have curfew..and they are taught all the same things.Minister Farrakhan knows his role,and he does the best he can..if some of the followers dont follow what he teaches..thats on them. But the NOI does an excellent job.
Times have changed and they have adjusted accordingly.

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I can't disagree....

But I was in the Nation of Islam and saw how things have changed in just the 7 or 8 years that I've been out of it, and can only imagine how things have changed over the period of 30 something years since Elijah passed.

I remember reading that you also had a close relationship with the NOI so you've seen changes as well.

Most of us who were in the NOI thought it was US who had the responsibility to reform or change the world producing the "gods" we so desired; but now for some it's about conforming to the rest of the world and trying to please others.

Too much glitz and glamor among too many of our organizations in the black community now.

It's all about who can look and sound the best, and put on the biggest pagent and win the most popularity and approval of society.

Both Bible and Koran clearly lays out the roles and rules for men and women in a given community and when we as Muslims, Christians, or NOI members followed those roles as we read them without putting a spiritual spin on them or made excuses not to follow them.....we had "fewwer" problems than we're now having.

I can't speak for you as a young black woman, but I would be angry at the so called leaders who are just giving me ear candy and saying all the nice things I want to hear without actually cleaning up my community.

I'm not gonna say nothing was accomplished because nearly 2 million bruthaz showed up and out of a pool that large there HAD to be some success; but overall it seems that things have gotten worse in our community.

Not because of the Million Man March...ofcourse...but inspite of it.

I was kind of looking for a fire and brimstone "exposing it all" speech from Farrakhan on that day. He had the entire world as an audience and could have exposed a lot on this government, our treatment, and a host of other things. But I didn't organize it so I can't call the shots. Like you, I'd like to see the outcome of the Millions More Movement.

Yes it is true that a lot of what we are in life comes from our mothers. But how does that help someone who is full grown? When it's too late to go back to mama and be raised again in the right way this time? We can blame mama but the ultimate responsibility for who you are rests on you. Once you become aware that you have a problem it's up to you to deal with it. Mama can't help you. Mama has her own problems so are you just going to stay stuck and keep reproducing problems? Too many times we look at the cause of a problem and use that as an excuse when it should be a springboard for change.

Rules and regulations and curfews do not teach self respect. They don't teach love of self and other which is vital to build the strong family and nation that we want. People tend to magnify what they see as the sins of others to make themselves look pious. This brings strife and insecurity as well as alienation and sorrow. None of which we really need.

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I go back to the days of the “Muhammad Speaks” and when the brethren in the NOI use to go door to door and sell the paper (not just on the corners)…the brothers use to teach as they roam the neighborhood with newspapers in hand… I had friends who were in the Nation some 30 years ago and some who just left about 10 years ago, after 15 years or more of devotion.

A lot has changed as far as the relationship with the sisters and brothers on the streets. No disrespect, but the teachings of Elijah Muhammad are not as powerful or maybe they haven’t progressed very far over the years…

I remember when the Nation taught against marching, protesting and voting, and focused more on separatism, (though I honored the “Day of Absence”... something rarely discussed).

Many older brothers and sisters I talked to, were still sort of surprised about Brother Farrakhan’s call for a “March On Washington”.

Discussing the Nation Of Islam, made me think about the context of another thread about meat or vegetarianism. Brother Ralfa'il, do you remember the quote from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s teachings “Meat is no good for you”?

I go back to the days of the “Muhammad Speaks” and when the brethren in the NOI use to go door to door and sell the paper (not just on the corners)…the brothers use to teach as they roam the neighborhood with newspapers in hand… I had friends who were in the Nation some 30 years ago and some who just left about 10 years ago, after 15 years or more of devotion.

A lot has changed as far as the relationship with the sisters and brothers on the streets. No disrespect, but the teachings of Elijah Muhammad are not as powerful or maybe they haven’t progressed very far over the years…

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Although I no longer agree with all of them, the teachings of ELIJAH are just as powerful as they were when he ran the Nation; they just aren't being enforced now.
There is so much leeway given to members and rules and regulations aren't as strictly enforced under Farrakhan's nation as they were when Elijah was leader.

I come from Detroit bro and I'v met hundreds of old school NOI cats and they told me of the many differences between what they called the REAL Nation of Islam and Farrakhan's Nation of Islam.

I remember when the Nation taught against marching, protesting and voting, and focused more on separatism, (though I honored the “Day of Absence”... something rarely discussed).

Many older brothers and sisters I talked to, were still sort of surprised about Brother Farrakhan’s call for a “March On Washington”.

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Well, all I can say is Elijah Muhammad taught against both marching AND voting.

Infact, he said any leader that would lead you back to the system of your open enemy was worse than the Devil himself.

Like you said, during Elijah's time the Nation was more focused on separation, getting their own land, and waiting on the destruction.
Now, it seems to be more about economic and political power WITH IN the system.

Discussing the Nation Of Islam, made me think about the context of another thread about meat or vegetarianism. Brother Ralfa'il, do you remember the quote from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s teachings “Meat is no good for you”?

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Yes I remember reading that in How to Eat to Live.

But the problem is he also stressed drinking plenty of whole milk, bread, bean pies and other pastries that are no good for us.

I believe they said one of the many ailments Elijah Muhammad had when he passed was chronic broncitis and diabetes.

Milk gives you bronchitis (I know because I had it until I stopped drinking milk.)